Knitted fabric



Patented Apr. f1, 1942 fUNrrao STATE.

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, inwm'rnrisultiofr Eugene St. Pierre, Pawtucket, E; L, assignor to Hemphill Company, Central'Falls, poration oi Massachusetts B I., a corcrigmai appucauon'neeember 19, 193s, sensi no.

Divided and this application Septemper e, 1940, serai No. 355,699 y s claims. (cite-172) This case involves a method of knitting and a stocking top 'in which an elastic yarn is incorporated along with 'a so-called plain yarn or yarns.

This application .is a division of co-pending application Serial No.`24d,580, led December 19, 1938, now Patent #2,246,194.

In the iigures of drawing:

Fig. 1 is an elevation showing a half hose in which a top is conventionally shown knitted in accordance with the invention; and f y Fig. 2 is a conventional view of a section ot fabric, greatly enlarged, and showing several courses at the beginning of the stocking top.

In knitting simulated rib stocking tops with elastic yarn incorporated therein "for rendering the stocking self-supporting and for other purposes, the initial course commonly has an elastic yarn passing through certain loops such as through the sinker loops, for example, to render the edge fast against ravelling. A common difficulty experienced with these tops is that they are outwardly tending to curl at the topmost portion and in some instances, do not present the most pleasing or satisfactory appearance.

As described in thepresent case, the elastic yarn is incorporated in accordance with one form n of the invention, by knitting the same at an auxiliary feed and on every other needle. A plain or non-elastic yarn, so-called, is to be knitted at a second feeding station and will, throughout the greater part of the stocking top, be knitted on ail needles or in all wales.. However, if for the nrst few courses the said plain yarn is tucked on certain needles as on intermediate needles, it has been found that a 'more satisfactory top will result, both from the point of view of appearance and' stretch characteristics, and -that furthermore, the edge will. be more resistant to curling than if constructed in accordance with principles heretofore prevailing.'

While not necessarily being knitted on a machine having two separate feeding stations, one preferred form of the invention will be practiced by employing a machine having a mainfeeding station, an auxiliary feeding station and jacks under alternate needles andbutt selection by means of which those needles maybe raised to a yarn taking and latch clearing position at the auxiliary feeding station. At that station a knitting cam will draw needles through a. path satisfactory for purposes of stitch drawing. At the main -feeding .station the usual cams are to be employed and the front stitch cam is to be capable of moving to inactive position at desired times. A` similar jack selecting or needle dividing cam functions in advance of the front stitch vcam and raises needles individual to the jacks to a clearing and incidentally a yarn taking position.

Probably the best way of describing the char,- acteristics of the top and method of producing Y the same is to explain the-manner in which each individual course of the fabric, Fig. 2, is con'- structed and the operation of the machine incidentally thereto. In Fig. l, a stocking is illus-l trated having atop i with a selvage 2,' a leg 3, foot 4, and heel and toe B and 6, respectively. The top is preferably knitted to simulate a rib appearance and to provide suicient elasticity for garter purposes in accordance l,with the method vdisclosed `in United States Patent #2,131,720. The beginning edge which involves the first few courses is to be constructed in accordance with what is illustrated in Fig. 2 and Vnot described in this case.

raised for taking this elastic yarnby selection involving jacks and a dividing cam as above veirplained, and as more thoroughly described in the patent mentioned above and in co-pending application Serial #243.914, filed December 5, 1938, now Patent #2,248,875. Intermediate needles do not rise to a height sulceint to take this elastic yarn. The elastic yarn indicated at 'l will be temporarily drawn into loops in course A, but since there were no previously drawn loops on the needles and since no yarn is fed at the main side of the machine, needles Iwill rise above the front stitch cam, clearing the latches, and as they pass under the back stitch cam, will knit of! the elastic just taken. On the second revolution of the machine those same needles will take the elastic yarn again as in the course illustrated at B, and prior to reaching the main side of the machine, a so-called plain yarn such as cotton, silk or the like will be thrown into action; also,

` the needle dividing cam or jack cam at that side of the machine will move in to butt engagingintermediate needles will take yarn, but sincer I I there wasnothing `on those-needles will not be drawn through other stitches. consti-y tutes the knitting of course C, The vmachine set up now remains the same and in another revolution,"course- D is-knitted comprisingelastic yarn loops'drawn at the. auxiliary side and through the last drawn'plain yarn loops'8. The intermediate needles do'not take the elastic as before,

but merely retain their loops 9 of plain yarn.

At the main side course E will be knitted similar to course C, the alternate needles drawing' loops through the elastic at that side while the intermediate needles take other loops l in addition t'o the lcops 9 already held. In the next revolution'of the machine elastic yarn isagain taken bythe alternate needles at the auxiliary side, `is knitted, and the last drawn plain yarn stitches are. cast off.' j'I'his course is shown at F. .Them

the front stitch cam will move to active position machine makes another move at this time and while the jack `cam at that `vside may be withdrawn. vCourse G will be knitted from the plain yarn, all needles taking the yarn and immediately drawing loops therefrom. At this time, the-front stitch cam will resume its usual function of clearing all needles prior to their taking yarn so vthat the accumulated loops 9 and I0 will be knitted olf as other plain yarn loops are drawn through them.

From this point courses are knitted wherein the elastic is fed at the auxiliary side, knitting on every other needle While the .plain yarn feeds at the main side and knits -on every needle. This is in accordance with the disclosure in United States Patent #2,131,720 and the remaining fabric throughout the top may be knitted 'in this:

and that elastic loops tend to draw up or'contract to a certain degree. This results in imparting a rib appearance tothe fabric as disclosed in the said patent. The rst course of elastic A which `was cast from'the needles will be cut away and course B, when contracted, will' appear as threaded through sinker loops of the first plain course C. The edge of the fabric isgreatly strengthened straight rather than vto ilare or curl. 'The fact that knitting the elastic into individual stitches and thatthe elastic is knitted under a slight tension results in a fabricjwhich is notexc'essively tight so that the few'ourses at thebeginning edge in which tuck stitches are 'knitted serves very effectively togmaintain the edge'4 straight and to prevent curling. The tuck stitches as -shown constitutel t'wo held-loopsf'It is to be understood that the tuck maybe varied and that in some instances more or a lesser number of held .loops may be used. The invention is to be limited onlyby the scope of theappended claims. n Iclaimz l l.l A selvage fora plain knitted (not rib) fabric including an edge fast against ravelling, elastic yarn incorporated to be held at alternate wales I only and a plainv yarn. knitted in said alternate vvvwales but tucked at intermediate wales.

2. A selvage for a plain knitted (not rib) fabric including an edge fast against ravelling, elastic yarn knitted in alternate wales; a plain yarn knitted through said elastic yarn loops in alternate wales, but drawn into tuck stitches at intermediate wales. l.

v3. A selvage for a knitted fabric having incombination an elastic and a plain yarn knitted alternately, said elastic yarn being knitted only in alternate wales and said plain yarn being knitted in alternate wales and tucked in intermediate Wales.

4. A `salvage for a plain knitted (not rib) fabric including an edge fast against ravelling, elastic and non-elastic yarns, the non-elastic yarn being knitted atfalternate wales and tucked at intermediate walesover a plurality of courses, and the elastic yarn being held at non-adjacent knitted wales only in some of said courses.

5. A selva'ge for a plain knitted (not rib) fabric including an edge fast against ravelling, elastic vand non-elastic yarns, the non-elastic yarn being knitted at alternate wales in a plurality of courses and being tucked at intermediatewales therein, the said elastic yarn being held against lateral displacement at said alternate wales only and being iioated over said intermediate tuck wales.

EUGENE ST. PIERRE.

the plain yam tucr 12361 and @aannemen -i 

